Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

emissary

/ˈɛmɪˌsɛɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.84 in modern English

Syllables: emis-sary
IPA: /ˈɛmɪˌsɛɹi/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An agent sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else.

noun

An agent sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else.

noun

A venous channel in the skull.

noun

An underground channel by which the water of a lake escapes.

Example Sentences

"The small group around Ch’en Tu-hsiu that had remained at headquarters hastily sent an emissary—Chang Kuo-t’ao—to Nanch’ang. Though Chang set out immediately, he did not reach Nanch’ang until July 31, the day before the rising."
"Near-synonym: missionary"

Etymology

From French émissaire, from Latin emissarius (“agent, scout, spy”).

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: émissaire, emissarius

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɛmɪˌsɛɹi/
British English: /ˈɛmɪs(ə)ɹi/

Inflected Forms

emissaries (plural)

Derived Forms

emissarial emissaryship

Phrases

emissary vein

Frequently Paired Words

emission emit missionary

Synonyms

missionary envoy

Questions

How do you pronounce emissary?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛmɪˌsɛɹi/.
What does emissary mean?: An agent sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else.
Where does emissary come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce emissary

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “emissary”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɛmɪˌsɛɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “emissary”.
Repeat and practice — Say “emissary” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.